Insulation displacement contact and insulation displacement contact assembly for high performance electrical connections

ABSTRACT

An insulation displacement contact is for piercing through an insulation of a cable or wire in a cutting direction and electrically contacting an electrically conductive core of the cable or wire. The insulation displacement contact includes a contact body having a piercing section for piercing the insulation and a contact slot receiving the core of the cable or wire. The contact slot extends along the cutting direction from the piercing section into the contact body. The contact body has a pair of blades separated by the contact slot. The blades have a pair of attachment slots extending from the piercing section into the blades.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of PCT International Application No.PCT/EP2019/081694, filed on Nov. 18, 2019, which claims priority under35 U.S.C. § 119 to European Patent Application No. 18207098.7, filed onNov. 19, 2018.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a contact and, more particularly, to aninsulation displacement contact.

BACKGROUND

Insulation displacement contacts (IDCs) and IDC assemblies are knownfrom the art. The prior art solutions, however, have the disadvantagethat only a limited normal force may be exerted on an electricallyconductive core of a cable or wire to which the IDC is attached. Inhigher current applications, in particular, an insufficient contactforce may decrease the quality of the electric connection and mayultimately result in a temperature rise beyond the specifications of theassembly or even in the destruction of the entire assembly. Further,mechanical disturbances (e.g. vibrations) may result in a gradualdecrease in the quality of the electrical connection in an IDC.

SUMMARY

An insulation displacement contact is for piercing through an insulationof a cable or wire in a cutting direction and electrically contacting anelectrically conductive core of the cable or wire. The insulationdisplacement contact includes a contact body having a piercing sectionfor piercing the insulation and a contact slot receiving the core of thecable or wire. The contact slot extends along the cutting direction fromthe piercing section into the contact body. The contact body has a pairof blades separated by the contact slot. The blades have a pair ofattachment slots extending from the piercing section into the blades.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference tothe accompanying Figures, of which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional perspective view of an IDC and a clip according toa first embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an IDC and a clip according to a secondembodiment in an assembled state;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an IDC and a clip according to a thirdembodiment;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the IDC and the clip of FIG. 3 in anassembled state;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of an IDC assembly according toan embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the IDC assembly;

FIG. 7A is a perspective view of a first step of contacting a multitudeof wires with an IDC assembly according to another embodiment;

FIG. 7B is a perspective view of a second step of contacting themultitude of wires with the IDC assembly of FIG. 7A;

FIG. 7C is a perspective view of a final step of contacting themultitude of wires with the IDC assembly of FIG. 7A;

FIG. 8A is a perspective view of an IDC assembly according to anotherembodiment;

FIG. 8B is a perspective view of an IDC assembly according to anotherembodiment;

FIG. 8C is a perspective view of an IDC assembly according to anotherembodiment;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a cable positioner;

FIG. 10 is a side view of the IDC assembly in a preassembled state;

FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of an IDC assembly according toanother embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the IDC assembly of FIG. 11 in apreassembled state;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an IDC assembly according to anotherembodiment;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of an IDC assembly according to anotherembodiment; and

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of an IDC assembly according to anotherembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT(S)

In the following, the present invention will be described using theaccompanying figures. The figures show embodiments of the presentinvention, each of which is advantageous on its own. Technical featuresof the following embodiments may be arbitrarily combined or even omittedif the technical effect obtained by the omitted technical feature is notrelevant to the present invention. Identical technical features ortechnical features having the same technical function will be denotedusing the same reference numeral. A repetitive description of technicalfeatures that appear in different figures will be omitted; differencesbetween the figures will be explained. The embodiments of the presentinvention described herein are not intended to limit the scope ofprotection, which is defined by the accompanying claims.

FIG. 1 shows an insulation displacement contact 1 (referred tohenceforth as IDC 1) and a clip 3. The IDC 1 is in an unassembled state5. The IDC 1 comprises a contact body 7 with a piercing section 9. TheIDC 1 extends essentially along a cutting direction 11.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the contact body 7 is positioned in a contact plane13 which is spanned by the cutting direction 11 and a width direction 15oriented perpendicular to the cutting direction 11. The contact plane 13is indicated by shading. A depth direction 17 is orientedperpendicularly to both the cutting direction 11 and the width direction15.

The IDC 1 is a bent and stamped sheet-metal part 19 in which the contactbody 7 is monolithically connected to a transition section 21, which inturn is monolithically connected to a cable crimp connector section 23formed as a receiving barrel for receiving a connector cable. It is tobe noted that numerous embodiments of transition sections 21 and/orcable crimp connector sections 23 are conceivable (see e.g. FIG. 2 ).The shown embodiment of the transition section 21 and the cable crimpconnector section 23 are purely exemplary.

Further, the depicted IDC 1 is adapted to provide an electricalconnection between a cable mechanically and electrically connected tothe cable crimp connector section 23 with another cable, which iscontacted via the piercing section 9 of the contact body 7. The shownembodiment is not intended to limit the scope of protection, asdifferent configurations and/or connection schemes of one, two or morecontact bodies 7 are conceivable.

The IDC 1, as shown in FIG. 1 , has a contact slot 25 which is orientedparallel to the cutting direction 11 and which extends in a directioncounter to the cutting direction 11 from the piercing section 9 into thecontact body 7. The contact slot 25 is positioned centrally in thecontact body 7 and opens in the cutting direction 11. The contact slot25 has an inner contact slot wall 27 with a contact slot bottom 29 at anend 31 of the contact slot 25 opposite a front end 33 of the IDC, wherethe contact slot 25 opens in cutting direction 11, i.e. is accessiblefrom a direction counter to the cutting direction 11. This is shown inan enlarged detail view 35 of FIG. 1 .

The piercing section 9 comprises two blades 37, one of which is shown inanother enlarged detail view 35 in FIG. 1 . The contact slot 25 may becentered between the two blades 37 and may be understood to be anelongated through-hole provided in the contact body 7 of the IDC 1. Theblades 37 are separated by the contact slot 25 in the width direction15. The blade 37 is not continuous but comprises a first blade section37 a and a second, V-shaped blade section 37 b. An attachment slot 39extends from the piercing section 9 into the blade 37 separating thefirst blade section 37 a and the second blade section 37 b. The secondblade section 37 b has a blade tip 41 away from which the blade 37 isinclined, i.e. counter to the cutting direction 11. On one side, theinclined second blade section 37 b ends at an opening 43 of the contactslot 25. Such an inclination is advantageous for centering the core of awire or cable for moving said core towards, and positioning it within,the contact slot 25. Each of the two blades 37 has an attachment slot39, as shown in FIG. 1 , wherein the second blade is embodiedanalogously to the shown blade 37. The blades 37 of the IDC 1 may beinclined towards each other in order to provide a two-dimensionalfunnel-like structure which centers the cable or wire which is to becontacted. In general, the cable or wire is oriented perpendicular tothe contact body 7 and the blades 37 prior and during contacting.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the attachment slots 39 extend along the cuttingdirection 11 and are oriented parallel to the contact slot 25. Theattachment slots 39 open in the cutting direction 11 and end in anattachment slot bottom 45. The attachment slots 39 are adapted toreceive the inventive clip 3. The IDC 1 is generally embodied as a flatand elongated structure, wherein a longest extension of the IDC 1 isgenerally oriented along the cutting direction 11. The blades 37, whichare applied for piercing the insulation of a wire or cable, are usuallyembodied at the end of the IDC 1 facing in cutting direction 11. Theattachment slots 39 are accessible from a direction opposite the cuttingdirection 11.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the clip 3 has a U-shape 47 and may also be made ofa stamped and bent sheet-metal part 19, wherein the clip 3 is bentaround the depth direction 17, i.e. a wall 51 of the clip 3 is orientedperpendicular to the contact plane 13. A curved or non-curved surface ofthe sheet metal 19 of the clip may be oriented perpendicular to thecontact body 7 of the IDC 1. The clip 3 has a mounting slot 49 which isembodied in the wall 51 and which thus also has a U-shape 47. Themounting slot 49 of the embodiment of the clip 3 shown in FIG. 1 extendsfrom a first clip leg 53 a to a clip base 55 and to a second clip leg 53b. The U-shape 47 may help to ensure the flexibility of the clip 3 sothat the quality of the electrical connection can be maintained. Theclip base 55 and the clip legs 53 may be formed monolithically.

If the U-shaped clip 3 is received via the attachment slots 39 of thecontact body 7, the engagement described above is present for bothblades 37. The U-shape 47 is to be understood as a form or shape inwhich the first sheet metal of the clip leg 53 a extends from the blade37 in a direction counter to the cutting direction 11, bends into theclip base 55 and subsequently bends further until it extends into thecutting direction 11, forming a second leg 53 b of the clip 3 thatextends towards the second blade 37. It is noted that the wording“bends” is to be understood as describing an as-is-state of the clip 3and its geometrical contour and shape.

Each of the clip legs 53, i.e. the first clip leg 53 a and the secondclip leg 53 b, extend from the clip base 55 in the cutting direction 11towards a free end 57, where one of the free ends 57 is shown in anotherenlarged detail view 35 in FIG. 1 . The free end 57 has an attachmentsection 59, a V-shaped clip blade 61 at each of the free ends 57 of theclip legs 53, and a leg tip 63, which is the foremost part of the clip 3in the cutting direction 11. The clip blades 61 are orientedperpendicular to the blades 37 of the piercing section 9. In FIG. 1 ,the clip 3 is in a relaxed state 65.

FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the inventive IDC 1 in an assembledstate 67, i.e. the clip 3 is in an attached state 69, in which the clip3 is attached to the contact body 7. The second embodiment of the IDC 1differs from the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 only in the transitionsection 21. The contact body 7 may be inserted into the mounting slot 49when the clip 3 is in the attached state 69.

In the assembled state 67, the attachment sections 59 of the clip 3 areinserted in the corresponding attachment slots 39 of the blades 37 shownin the enlarged detail view 35 in FIG. 2 . In an embodiment, theattachment section 59 is received within the attachment slots 39 formingan interference fit 71. In a different embodiment of the inventive IDC1, both elements 39, 59 may engage with one another in a friction fit orpositive fit.

The attachment section 59 is to be understood as a section which isembodied essentially complementarily to the corresponding attachmentslot 39. The attachment section 59 may therefore be a portion of theclip 3 having a thickness in a direction perpendicular to the cuttingdirection 11 and within the plane of the contact body 7, which thicknessis on the order of the width of the attachment slot 39 measured in thesame direction. In further embodiments, the attachment slot 39 may havean inner contour, e.g. may be tapered. In such cases, the attachmentsection 59 of the clip 3 may be embodied complementarily, i.e. beprovided with a beveled outer shape that fits into the attachment slot39.

In the assembled state 67, the contact body 7 is inserted into themounting slot 49 of the clip 3, such that the mounting slot 49 surroundsthe contact slot 25. The attachment sections 59 extend along the cuttingdirection 11 to the at least one mounting slot 49. Thus, the mountingslot 49 borders, i.e. is positioned in the vicinity of, thecorresponding attachment slot 39. The mounting slot 49 may therefore beunderstood to constitute a slot adapted to receive the contact body 7which, in addition to inserting the clip 3 into the attachment slots 39,may attach the clip 3 to the contact body 7 and fix the position and/ororientation of the contact body 7 and a separate clip relative to oneanother. The mounting slot 49, in an embodiment, is in a center of theclip 3 and adapted to receive the entire contact body 7. The contactbody 7 and/or the clip 3 may comprise stop members, which limit theinsertion of the contact body 7 into the mounting slot 49. The mountingslot 49 may, in another embodiment, be shorter than a width of thecontact body 7, the width being measured in a direction perpendicular tothe cutting direction 11 in the plane of the contact body 7.

The attachment section 59 may thus be connected with the mounting slot49, i.e. form one uninterrupted slot. This slot may extend from an endof the first clip leg 53 a against the cutting direction 11 away fromthe blades 37. The thus formed mounting slot 49 merges into a curvedprogression which is located further away from the blades 37 than thecontact slot 25. The mounting slot 49 passes the contact slot 25 andsubsequently merges into the attachment section 59 of the second blade37. Also the attachment section 59 of the second blade 37 extendsparallel to the cutting direction 11 towards the end of the second blade37.

Both the clip leg 53 and the blade 37 of the contact body 7 are to beunderstood as having a flat structure. Then the elements, i.e. the blade37 or the clip leg 53, are rotated with respect to each other around arotational axis positioned in the center of one slot 25, 39, wherein therotational axis being oriented along the extension of the slot. If bothelements are rotated by an angle of 90° to one another, the blade 37 andthe clip 3 may be linearly moved towards each other along the extensionof the slots 25, 39 such that the slots 25, 39 overlap.

The position of the clip 3 with respect to the contact body 7 incombination with the connection of the clip leg 53 and the blade 37,which are oriented perpendicular to one another, and stuck into eachother may result in a particularly reliable and rigid attachment of theclip 3 to the contact body 7.

In the assembled state 69, the attachment slot bottom 45 (see enlargeddetail view 35 to the left of FIG. 1 ) abuts a mounting slot bottom 73(see enlarged detail view 35 at the bottom of FIG. 1 ). Further, innerwalls 75 of the attachment slot 39 abut outer surfaces 79 of theattachment section 59, which outer surfaces 79 are indicated by shadingin FIG. 1 . In addition, inner walls 75 of the mounting slot 49 abutouter surfaces 79 of the piercing section 9, i.e the opposite innerwalls 75 of the mounting slot 49 are supported by a face 81 of theblades 37. As most of the above technical features are not clearlyvisible in the assembled state 67, reference is made to the enlargeddetail views 35 of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 2 further shows that, in the attached state 69 of the clip 3, andin a projection along a direction oriented normal to the contact body 7,i.e. in a projection in the depth direction 17, the contact body 7extends beyond the clip 3 in a direction perpendicular to the cuttingdirection 11, i.e. in and against the width direction 15 and in adirection counter to the cutting direction 11. The clip 3 is thereforepositioned at a distance from the bordering edge of the contact body 7.Hence, the clip 3 does not encircle or surround the contact body 7.

In the embodiment shown, the clip blade 61 extends slightly beyond thefirst blade section 37 a and the second blade section 37 b, wherein indifferent embodiments, the clip blade 61 and blade sections 37 a and 37b may be flush, or the clip blade 61 may be positioned further in thedirection counter to the cutting direction 11, i.e. may be entirelyreceived within the attachment slot 39. In a further embodiment of theIDC 1, the clip 3 may comprise at least one mounting slot 49, wherein inthe attached state 69 of the clip 1, at least portions of the at leastone slot 49 are oriented essentially perpendicular to the cuttingdirection 11.

In the attached state 69 of the clip 3, the clip 3 (in particular whencompared to the relaxed state 65 shown in FIG. 1 ) is in a pre-tensionedstate 83 in which the clip 3 exerts a force F on the piercing section 9towards the contact slot 25. The force F is exerted symmetricallytowards the contact slot 25. For the sake of visibility, only one arrowindicating the force F is shown in FIG. 2 .

FIG. 3 shows a third embodiment of the inventive IDC 1 in theunassembled state 5 with a second embodiment of the clip 3. The clip 3also has a U-shape 47 but is not adapted to exert a force F. Compared tothe first and second embodiments of the IDC 1, the IDC 1 of FIG. 3comprises longer attachment slots 39 due to the fact that the mountingslot 49 of the clip 3 only extends as far as the clip base 55.

In the assembled state 67 of the IDC 1 of FIG. 3 shown in FIG. 4 , mostparts of the clip legs 53 are received within the attachment slots 39.Further, the blades 39 are only inclined towards the contact slot 25. Ascan be seen in FIG. 4 , the leg tips 63 constitute, as shown in cuttingdirection 11, the foremost parts of the IDC 1 in the assembled state 67.The mounting slot 49 is oriented perpendicular to the contact slot 25 inthe assembled state 67, whereby this is only partially the case in thefirst embodiment of the clip 3 shown in FIG. 2 .

In the following, embodiments and details of an insulation displacementcontact assembly 85 (abbreviated henceforth to IDC assembly 85), will bedescribed with reference to the accompanying FIGS. 5 to 10 .

FIG. 5 shows an exploded view 87 of the inventive IDC assembly 85. TheIDC assembly 85 comprises a housing 89 for receiving at least one cableor wire 91, a plurality of IDCs 1, which may be received in the housing89, and a cable positioner 93 which is adapted to receive and positionat least one further cable or wire 95. The housing 89 and cablepositioner 93 may be fabricated by injection molding in an embodiment.The housing 89 and the cable positioner 93 may be separate parts or maybe connected to each other by a hinge structure. The cable positioner 93is to be understood to constitute a cage-like structure in which furthercables or wires are received and, due to the internal structure of thecable positioner 93, positioned correctly for further processing, e.g.piercing by an IDC 1.

The further cable or wire 95 is embodied as a ribbon cable 97, which isreceived in between an upper jaw 99 and a lower jaw 101 of the cablepositioner 93 shown in FIG. 5 . The position of the further cable orwire 95 is determined by cable receptacles 102 embodied as convexreceiving slots 103, each of which comprises recesses 105 in the upperjaw 99 and the lower jaw 101, through which recesses 105 the IDCs 1 maybe pushed in order to pierce an insulation 107 of the further cable orwire 95 and to electrically contact the electrically conductive core 109of the further cable or wire 95.

The upper jaw 99 and the lower jaw 101 are two receiving parts 117 whichare connected to one another by a hinge member 119, as shown in FIG. 5 .The receiving parts 117 may be locked to each other and the cablepositioner 93 may also comprise locking features for locking the cablepositioner 93 at least two positions in the housing 89. Thefunctionality is not discussed in further detail here.

After receiving the further cable or wire 95 within the jaws 99, 101 ofthe cable positioner 93, the cable positioner 93 is moved into thehousing 89 along a direction counter to the cutting direction 11,thereby pushing the IDCs 1, which are fixed in the housing 89, throughthe recesses 105, piercing the insulation 107 of the further cable orwire 95 and electrically contacting the cores 109 of the further cablesor wires 95. In an embodiment, the two clip legs 53 are convexly curvedaway from the contact slot 25. Such an embodiment may be advantageousbecause the convexly curved clip legs 53 may at least partially surroundthe cable insulation 107 after piercing, thereby holding the cable orwire 91 in place and further fixing its position with respect to the IDC1 or the IDC assembly 85.

FIG. 11 shows a further embodiment of the inventive IDC assembly 85 inan exploded view 87. The embodiment of the IDC assembly 85 shown in FIG.11 differs from the previously shown IDC assembly 85 of FIG. 5 in thatdifferent embodiments of the housing 89 and the cable positioner 93 areshown. Further, a different embodiment of the IDCs 1 is also applied inFIG. 11 . The only difference between the previously shown IDCs 1 andIDCs 1 shown in FIG. 11 is a stub-shaped contact portion 141. Thehousing 89 comprises a differently shaped exemplary connector portion143. The housing 89 further comprises half-circle-shaped cutout portions145 in which the ribbon cable 97 may be at least partially received. Incomparison to the housing 89 of FIG. 5 , the housing 89 of FIG. 11 maythus provide an increased stability against displacement of the ribboncable 97 in a direction perpendicular to their length extension.

As shown in the embodiment of FIG. 11 , the cable positioner 93 haslocking members 139 by which the cable positioner 93 may be closed (withthe ribbon cable 97 received) independently of an insertion of the cablepositioner 93 into the housing 89.

In FIG. 12 , a different perspective of the IDC assembly 85 of FIG. 11is shown. As can be seen, the cable positioner 93 may also be receivedwithin the housing 89 prior to closing the cable positioner 93 with thelocking members 139. Closing the cable positioner 93 and insertion ofthe cable positioner 93 with the received ribbon cable 97 into thehousing 89 may thus be performed in one process step. In FIG. 12 , thecounter-locking members 147 for closing the cable positioner 93 arevisible. The figure also shows a counter-locking member 147 that locksthe entire cable positioner 93 within the housing 89. The lattercounter-locking member 147 may be referred to as a positioning counterlocking member 149.

In FIGS. 11 and 12 , the connector portion 143 is provided withbayonet-style locking members 151 and a longitudinal recess 153 whichallows for increased flexibility of a tube-shaped connector portion 155when being connected to a mating connector.

In FIG. 6 , a bottom view of the IDC assembly 85 clearly shows guidingfeatures 113 which are embodied as dove-tailed guidance members 115. Thehousing 89 and the cable positioner 93 each comprise four dove-tailedguidance members 115. These dove-tailed guidance members 115 areadvantageous for providing stable guidance for high-performance IDCassemblies 85.

FIGS. 7 a to 7 c show a second embodiment of the IDC assembly 85. In apreassembled state 123 shown in FIG. 7 a , the housing 89 is rotatablysupported at a rotation pin 121, and the further cables or wires 95 arereceived within a monolithic cable positioner 93 which opens in adirection counter to the piercing direction 11. Subsequently, thehousing 89 is rotated above the cable positioner 93 and brought intoabutment with positioning pins 125 of the cable positioner 93. In thissecond preassembled state 127, the IDCs 1 are positioned above thecorresponding further cable or wire 95, as shown in FIG. 7 b . In FIG. 7c , the assembled state 69 is obtained by pressing the housing 89against the cable positioner 93, thereby cutting through the insulation107 of the further cables or wires 95 and contacting the correspondingcores 109.

In FIGS. 8 a to 8 c , different configurations of the inventive IDCassembly 85 are shown. In FIG. 8 a , the IDC assembly 85 is a busbarin-line connector 129, which feeds through electrical current. FIG. 8 bshows a busbar end-line connector 131, which terminates the furthercables or wires 95. FIG. 8 c shows a splice in-line connector 133.

In FIGS. 13-15 , further different configurations of the inventive IDCassembly 85 are shown. FIG. 13 shows a different embodiment of thebusbar end-line connector 131 that also has a connector portion 143described in FIG. 11 above. The connector portion 143 of the busbarend-line connector 131 also has the bayonet-style locking members 151and the longitudinal recesses 153.

In FIGS. 14 and 15 , a splice in-line connector 133 is shown with twofurther cables or wires 95 attached (FIG. 14 ), respectively with onlyone further cable or wire 95 (FIG. 15 ). The splice in-line connector133 of FIGS. 14 and 15 comprise a housing 89 that differs from thehousing shown in FIG. 8 c as it additionally comprises guiding members157 that are embodied as overhangs 159. Further, the housing 89comprises a locking latch 161 that is applied when connecting to amating connector or a fixing structure.

In FIGS. 9 and 10 , strain relief members 135 are shown, the strainrelief members 135 being embodied in the cable positioner 93, inparticular inside the convex receiving slots 103.

These strain relief members 135 may be understood to constituteprotrusions extending into the convex receiving slots 103 andelastically deforming the insulation 107 of the received further cablesor wires 95. This is shown in the side view of FIG. 10 , in which theIDCs 1 and locking members 139 of the cable positioner 93 are alsovisible. The strain relief member 135 may have a triangular, pin-like orrectangular shape.

The locking features 139 allow the cable positioner 93 to be locked tothe housing 89 in at least two positions. In the first locking position,only the further cables or wires 95 may be received and secured in thecable positioner 93 without coming into contact or being pierced by theIDC 1. Said locking may be reversibly releasable in order to disconnectthe core of the further cable or wire 95 from the IDC 1. The secondlocking position may correspond to the state in which the IDC 1 piercesthrough the insulation of the further cables or wires 95 andelectrically connects the electrically conductive core of the furthercable or wire 95. The second position may therefore be understood as aninstallation position, in which the electrical connection between thecore of the further cable or wire 95 and the contact body 7 isestablished and secured by the locking features 139 holding the cablepositioner 93 within the housing 89.

The present invention provides an IDC 1 and IDC assembly 85 with astable and reliable electrical connection which can be maintained overtime even in harsh environments. The attachment slots 39 may increasethe flexibility of the blades 37 in a direction away from the contactslot 25, such that even a vibrating core 109 of the cable or wire 95 maybe electrically contacted in a reliable manner.

The clip 3 may, in particular, provide stability for the electricalconnection with the wire or cable 91, in particular by improving(increasing) the force F in the contact slot 25, the force F beingexerted by the contact body 7 of the IDC 1 onto the electricallyconductive core 109 of the cable or wire 91. Furthermore, the clip 3 mayincrease the flexibility of the contact slot 25, i.e. enable the core109 of a cable or wire 91 to be pressed into the contact slot 25,whereby the contact slot 25 itself may reversibly and elastically bedeflected such that its open width is temporarily increased. One of thefunctions of the clip 3 may be to increase the strength of the contact.Furthermore, the resilience of the clip 3 may sustain the electricalconnection between the core 109 of the cable or wire 91 and the IDC 1even in a harsh, e.g. vibrating, environment.

In particular for high-performance set-ups, i.e. when high currents needto be transmitted via the IDC 1, the cables or wires 91 may be scaledaccordingly. Said high-performance cables and wires 91 are less flexiblethan cables and wires 91 for data transmission, and therefore havespecific requirements with respect to the stability of the mechanicalconnection between the housing 89 and the cable positioner 93. Theinventive IDC 1 and the inventive IDC assembly 85 may be applied for allcuttable insulations known in the art, e.g. in the case ofdouble-insulated cables or wires 19.

What is claimed is:
 1. An insulation displacement contact for piercingthrough an insulation of a cable or wire in a cutting direction andelectrically contacting an electrically conductive core of the cable orwire, comprising: a contact body having a piercing section for piercingthe insulation and a contact slot receiving the core of the cable orwire, the contact slot extending along the cutting direction from thepiercing section into the contact body, the contact body having a pairof blades separated by the contact slot, the blades have a pair ofattachment slots extending from the piercing section into the blades;and a clip insertable into the attachment slots.
 2. The insulationdisplacement contact of claim 1, wherein the attachment slots extendparallel to the contact slot.
 3. The insulation displacement contact ofclaim 1, wherein the clip has a U-shape.
 4. The insulation displacementcontact of claim 1, wherein the clip has a mounting slot, at least aportion of the mounting slot is perpendicular to the cutting directionwhen the clip is attached to the contact body in an attached state. 5.The insulation displacement contact of claim 4, wherein the mountingslot surrounds the contact slot in the attached state.
 6. The insulationdisplacement contact of claim 4, wherein the clip has a clip base and apair of clip legs extending from the clip base.
 7. The insulationdisplacement contact of claim 6, wherein a pair of ends of the clip legseach have an attachment section inserted in one of the attachment slotsin the attached state.
 8. The insulation displacement contact of claim7, wherein the attachment sections extend along the cutting direction tothe mounting slot.
 9. The insulation displacement contact of claim 4,wherein a pair of opposite walls of the mounting slot are each supportedby a face of one of the blades.
 10. The insulation displacement contactof claim 1, wherein the contact body extends beyond the clip in adirection perpendicular to the cutting direction and in a directioncounter to the cutting direction when the clip is in the attached state.11. The insulation displacement contact of claim 6, wherein the cliplegs are convexly curved away from the contact slot.
 12. An insulationdisplacement contact assembly, comprising: a housing receiving a cableor wire; an insulation displacement contact received in the housing, theinsulation displacement contact including a contact body having apiercing section for piercing an insulation of the cable or wire in acutting direction and a contact slot receiving a core of the cable orwire, the contact slot extending along the cutting direction from thepiercing section into the contact body, the contact body having a pairof blades separated by the contact slot, the blades have a pair ofattachment slots extending from the piercing section into the blades;and a cable positioner receiving and positioning a further cable orwire, the cable positioner has a pair of receiving parts connected toeach other by a hinge member, the receiving parts are lockable to eachother and the cable positioner is movable into the housing, theinsulation displacement contact electrically contacts the further cableor wire received in the cable positioner.
 13. The insulationdisplacement contact assembly of claim 12, wherein the housing and thecable positioner each have a dove-tailed guidance member and a movementof the cable positioner with respect to the housing is guided by thedove-tailed guidance members.
 14. The insulation displacement contactassembly of claim 12, wherein the cable positioner is lockable in thehousing in at least two positions.
 15. The insulation displacementcontact assembly of claim 12, wherein a cable receptacle of the cablepositioner has a strain relief member extending into the cablereceptacle and relieving a strain on the further cable or wire.